SMASHING MOONS

The first two of Uranus's five large moons, Titania and Oberon, were found by William Herschel in 1787. The third and fourth moons, Ariel and Umbriel, were not discovered until 1851. Miranda, the fifth, held out until 1948. These major moons certainly pose a challenge to observers: the brightest is Titania, at magnitude 13.7, and the dimmest, Miranda, is 16th magnitude.

SLIM RINGS

In March 1977, astronomers watched Uranus slide in front of a 9th magnitude star and discovered that Uranus has rings. The Voyager 2 flyby confirmed that Uranus has 11 rings, as well as several ring-arcs, or partial rings.

ORBITING SIDEWAYS

Uranus orbits almost "on its side" at a tilt of 98 degrees, possibly as a result of a collision with an Earth-size object early in its history. Its moons and rings may be leftover fragments from this impacting body. The tilt gives the planet peculiar seasons, with one pole or the other pointing to

WATCH THIS SPACE

At the time of the Voyager 2 flyby, Uranus displayed an all-but-blank appearance. This disappointed many scientists, who had hoped to find atmospheric features like those of Jupiter. Any features the planet had were hidden deep in the hydrogen-methane haze.